1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to formatting data records into formatted documents. More particularly, this invention relates to automated word-processing by a user application program in a batch processing environment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Printing has evolved from slow, fifteenth-century moveable-type, processes to today's high-speed, high-quality, computer driven printers. Now, in addition to lines of text, application programs can print data that includes a variety of output, such as logos, pie charts, graphs, signatures, etc. To date, computer-driven application programs for batch processing of record data into formatted documents have been written in pains-taking line of data code. The application programmer had to literally define the position of each dot to be placed in the line to be printed.
Interactive word processing in the personal computer or client/server computing systems has become highly evolved over the last decade. These word processing programs allow a user to create text and embed commands in the text whereby the word processing program subsequently formats the text from the embedded commands. These programs do not batch process data records into formatted documents unless the records contain embedded format commands.
Processing of text with embed format commands to produce formatted documents is well known. One example of such a system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,491, entitled "Method And Apparatus For Formatting Document By Using Command Codes Regarding Document Structure." Updating stored records with predefined fields is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,608. Linking formatted forms and the areas within the forms is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,555, entitled "Method And Apparatus For Supporting Of Making Formatted Document." Finally, the conversion of one record with embedded commands of a first type to another record with embedded commands of a second type is also well known. An example of this conversion process is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,516, entitled "Methodology For Transforming A First Editable Document Form Prepared By An Interactive Text Processing System To A Second Editable Document Form Usable By An Interactive Or Batch Text Processing System."
None of the prior art techniques solve the problem of batch processing of record data into formatted documents other than by the pains-taking process of an application program processing record data for formatting based on each dot or pel (picture element) in a line of print or display data.